Most Types Of Crime In Town Decline

JESSE LEAVENWORTH

— Following continuing trends in the state and nation, most types of crime reported in town decreased from 2009 to 2010.

The number of property crimes across the nation dropped for the eighth year in a row, according to the FBI's annual "Crime in the United States" report (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/index-page).

In Manchester in 2009-10, burglaries fell from 297 to 253; larcenies declined from 1,636 to 1,510; and motor vehicle thefts went from 107 to 84.

The FBI also reported that violent crimes in the U.S. last year declined for the fourth consecutive year. In Manchester, 131 violent crimes were reported in 2010, including the eight shooting deaths in August at Hartford Distributors Inc. In 2009, violent crimes in Manchester totaled 137. Rapes fell from 12 to 11 and robberies declined from 55 to 36. Aggravated assaults, however, climbed from 70 in 2009 to 76 last year.

A longer-term look shows there were 176 violent crimes in Manchester in 1997. Robberies and assaults have made up the bulk of violent crime in Manchester, as in other towns.

Property crime in town also decreased significantly in that same period. In 1997, property crimes totaled 2,529, compared with 1,847 last year.

The downward track in crime also has been clear across the state. In 1997, there were 12,784 violent crimes and 117,510 property crimes reported in Connecticut. Last year, violent crime reports totaled 10,057 and property crimes in the state totaled 78,386, according to state and national reports.